The Vancouver Dart (
Agrotis vancouverensis) is a medium size moth (forewing length about 33 mm) with light and dark reddish brown forewings. The subterminal area in particular is usually lighter brown, and is crossed by poorly defined jagged light and dark lines. The orbicular and reniform spots are well defined, with the area before and between them blackish. The basal dash-claviform spot is prominent and filled with black scales. The hind wings are brown (LaFontaine 1987).
The larvae are gray with a diffuse dark oval or diamond-shaped patch on the dorsum of each segment. There is a dark gray sub-dorsal line with dark gray shading speckled with white along the sides. The spiracles and cervical shield are black. The head is closely infuscated with black, including both submedian arcs, and a close reticulate pattern (Powell and Opler 2009).
Shropshire and Tallamy (2025) provide a list, with synonymies, of 13,055 described native, exotic, and occasional straying Lepidoptera species of North America, north of Mexico; known but undescribed taxa, taxa with unresolved taxonomy, and excluded species are also included. The
main manuscript includes links to supplementary materials, including a reference list for Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, and a filterable spreadsheet with information on taxonomy, synonymy, size ranges of species, distribution by state, province, and country with references, and host-plant Family and Genus associations with references.
Adults of the Vancouver Dart emerge in late spring and early summer. The main flight is in June (LaFontaine 1987).
Shropshire and Tallamy (2025) provide a link to a supplemental filterable spreadsheet with information on host-plant Family and Genus associations with references for all Lepidoptera species of North America, north of Mexico.
Vancouver Dart larvae feed on low herbacious plants such as
Trifolium (Fabaceae),
Fragaria (Rosaceae), and grass (
Poaceae) (Powell and Opler 2009).
The Vancouver Dart is single brooded (Powell and Opler 2009).
